A Closer Look
by dreamgoddess'92
Summary: During a night out, Dave and JJ talk about the growing relationship between Hotch and Emily and puzzle over their own feelings for each other. A hint H/P included. Set in the middle of "Family Dynamics"


Hey everyone!

So, this is a story for ilovetvalot (an any other Rossi/JJ fans) which should've been posted Saturday. Sadly it was not, and I apologize. I must admit that if Will was not in the picture I could totally see this paring working. I'm actually kind of warming up to Rossi/JJ though. Not to mention the nice Hotch/Prentiss innuendoes I've got going on in this story.

Also, this story takes place between Chapters 4 and 5 of _Family Dynamics_. Reid mentions hearing a conversation between Rossi and JJ as well in Chapter 6. You don't necessarily need to read _Family Dynamics_, but I'd love it if you did. (if you haven't already)

I hope you'll enjoy this story and review. =)

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If there was one thing David Rossi had no qualms in doing, it was inner team profiling.

Everyone did it, hell even JJ managed to partake in the regular session of profiling her friends. Especially Hotch and Emily. Dave caught JJ's eyes studying the two of them as they laughed at something Morgan said at the bar. They had volunteered to grab everyone's drinks with Derek to escape the looks Dave and JJ were giving them. Dave chuckled and JJ slid over in the booth next to him, intent on finding out if he knew anything.

Dave tried to ignore the urge to brush JJ's bare arm with his hand; he had to behave himself. JJ saw the flash in Dave's eyes and barely managed to suppress the smirk begging to be flashed. She was well aware of his inner turmoil when it came to her. If only he knew she had trouble fighting similar urges whenever the older profiler worked his charms.

"So I take it you're seeing what I'm seeing." JJ said leaning in a little towards Dave so he could hear her over the loud noise of the bar. Dave's eyes flickered back to Emily and Hotch and felt a smug smile settle on his lips as Hotch's hand cupped Emily's elbow. Emily looked down at his arm and smiled shyly at him.

"Oh yeah, I'm seeing what you're seeing. Question is, does that fact that we're seeing it mean anything will happen between them?" Dave said leaning back in the booth thoughtfully. He could only push Aaron so far before he snapped at him. Truth be told, it looked like Dave didn't have to do much nudging when it came to Emily which made Dave believe perhaps something would happen.

At the same time though, Aaron was hurting and was probably more likely to let Emily slip away due to his own guilt and stubbornness. As far as Dave was concerned their relationship was up in the air at this point. JJ agreed.

"I don't know, you know Hotch and I know Emily. They wouldn't want to put the other in that kind of position if they thought the other wasn't up for it." JJ said taking a sip of the beer she had managed to grab earlier from Morgan, thus causing him to trudge up to the bar to get a round for everyone. Dave turned to look at JJ and couldn't help but feel like her words related to how he felt about her.

He knew she had Will along with Henry, but Dave adored Henry and couldn't help but wish he could play Will's part in her life. Though if Will were ever to leave Dave would not make a move until he was 110% sure she consented to a relationship with him.

JJ saw Dave watching her from the corner of her eyes and bit her cheek from smiling. She may not be a profiler, but that didn't mean she didn't use her women's intuition to figure out what was on his mind.

Dave looked away from JJ missing her eyes dart to his face for a moment.

"She's good for him." Dave said almost absently, still thinking partially about the blonde next to him.

"He's good for her." JJ replied, her mind not far from his. They sat in silence, unaware that Reid had managed to pick up on what they were saying even though he looked quite preoccupied with his new book. Leave it to Reid to bring a book to a bar. JJ looked at her young friend fondly and silently hoped he wouldn't be the one in the group to constantly suffer the ache of loneliness. That boy needed a girl.

"Not to mention Jack adores her." Dave said smiling fondly as he remembered how she was able to make the young boy smile and laugh so easily after he fell at his house the other night. Emily pulled the role of mother off so immaculately and Dave couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness for the sacrifice she had to make at such a young age.

"He really does. I think that is one of the reasons why they've gotten so close of late." JJ said. "She's a great maternal figure for Jack, and he seems to see her in that light." Dave looked at JJ and nodded his head in agreement. Dave would never be able to forget the look of silent affection and warmth Hotch shot Emily whenever she was with his son.

JJ's mind flashed back to the episode in the park and smiled fondly. She recalled the picture Garcia had managed to snap when they hadn't been looking. She wondered what Garcia would possibly do with it.

"Hey Garcia, what are you going to do with that picture you took of Hotch, Emily, and Jack?" JJ asked her friend who had returned from the ladies room. Garcia laughed.

"I thought about framing it and putting a copy of it on Em and Hotch's desks on day. Garcia said knowing full well she had missed out on a conversation revolving around the couple the entire team seemed hyper aware of.

"Ha, I'd like to see their faces when they saw it." Dave said laughing at the idea. Garcia and JJ laughed as well watching as the others returned to the table.

"We miss something good?" Emily asked forcing Reid to scoot in next to JJ so she and Hotch could sit on the end. They didn't normally grab a booth but it had been a cool night and their back's ached from being hunched over the endless case files. Morgan slid in next to Garcia who smiled as he handed her a margarita. Dave took his beer gratefully and shook his head at Emily's question.

"Not really, just making small talk." JJ answered for Dave grinning at him conspiratorially. Dave saw Emily and Hotch share a look that clearly said they didn't believe a word of what JJ had said and he couldn't help but chuckle at how in tune with each other they had become. Dave met Hotch's eyes and just smiled his 'innocent' smile, watching as Hotch rolled his eyes and shot him a cold glare. Oh he'd be getting a talking to later. Oh well.

Morgan then chimed in with a particularly embarrassing story about Emily that she had told him once and soon the entire team was cracking up. Emily resisted the urge to bury her face in Hotch's shoulder just barely and settled for biting the inside of her cheek and looking down at the bottle of water in her hands. She was the designated drive for the night, so was Reid.

"Revenge is so sweet." Morgan said once her cheeks had returned to their normal color. "If you think this is over Derek, you've got it wrong. This means war and you know I'm fully capable of finding out the worst about you. All it takes in one phone call…" Emily said straightening her back and letting her arm rest against Hotch's for support.

"Oh yeah, who could you possibly call?" Morgan said leaning back in the booth confident Emily was just bluffing."

"Fran of course." Emily said laughing as Morgan's eyes got wide. "You wouldn't…" Morgan said as Garcia patted his arm sympathetically.

Dave chuckled and shook his head, "You know she's just the woman to do something like that Morgan. I don't know why you're surprised," he said winking at Emily while smiling at her in admiration. Emily bowed her head slightly and laughed as Morgan's head fell in his hands in defeat.

"Face it Morgan, you'll never bet me." Emily said leaning into Hotch's side, relaxed and liberated. Dave and JJ exchanged knowing looks and JJ let her arm brush against Dave's. He tried not to react but with how close she was to him, it was really hard not to put his arm around her shoulder and pull her into him.

Damned booth, if Dave wasn't careful he'd find himself in a predicament he wouldn't be able to smooth talk himself out of. Though as he felt JJ relax next to him, Dave was sure he wouldn't want to talk himself out of anything as long as it involved her.

JJ knew there was something between her and Dave, just like she knew there was more than something between Hotch and Emily. She didn't have to be a profiler to see how her best friend reacted around Hotch. She wondered if she and Dave would ever be like that…

JJ snapped herself out of those thoughts as she forced herself to remember that she had Will and Henry back home. Though she couldn't help but recall what Emily had told her once when they were talking about love after a long night at Garcia's.

"_You can't help who you fall in love with. They can be the worst person in the world or a damn saint, it doesn't matter. That's why love is so irrational; your heart takes over while your mind is on vacation and it becomes increasingly harder to think rationally when your heart refuses to give up its new position of power_."

JJ wondered it at that point Emily had realized her growing feelings for Hotch or if she had noticed how JJ reacted while Dave was around. Emily was a profiler after all. JJ looked over at Emily and Hotch and suddenly wanted them to be happy. She was seized with an overwhelming need to see them happy. She looked over to Dave and she knew in that exact moment he felt the same way for Emily and Hotch and themselves. It was hard for JJ to look away from his burning gaze but she managed to, somehow.

Hotch looked down at his watch and sighed. Emily looked over and, after seeing the time, motioned to stand up.

"I had better take Hotch over to Haley' sisters and take them home. It's getting late." Emily said smiling as Hotch nodded gratefully at her.

"Yeah, we probably should be heading out to. Will just txted me saying he'd be here in a few minutes. Reid you're taking the other's home?" JJ said looking at Reid who had put his book away a while ago. Reid nodded and chose to ignore Morgan's comments.

"If you wanted to drive yourself home you shouldn't have had a drink." Emily reprimanded coming to Reid's rescue. Reid smiled thankfully at her and they all said goodnight as Emily and Hotch left the bar. Everyone noticed how Hotch's hand had managed to find its way to Emily's lower back and they couldn't help but grin wide grins at each other.

JJ and Dave went outside as Garcia waited for Morgan and Reid to take their bathroom break real quick.

They stood in a comfortable silence closely together due to the cold night air. JJ wanted to say something more, but she wasn't sure if any comment she made would be about Emily and Hotch or her and Dave. It was like she was stuck in limbo; and it was rather unpleasant. Deciding to at least say something before Will rolled up, JJ turned and was not surprised to see Dave staring down at her.

'_Way to complicate things Dave_,' JJ thought smiling a little. She wasn't sure what she was going to do. She cared deeply, very deeply, about Will but sometimes it felt like he was convenient. Love should never be convenient; at least not where JJ was concerned. Seizing the whim that normally possessed her when she was alone with him, JJ leaned up and kissed his cheek lightly; trying to ignore the shiver that raced down her spine at how right the action felt.

Dave didn't try to hold her, or reciprocate the action knowing full well it would upset the delicate balance they had created long ago. He did feel considerably warmer though as JJ smiled at him softly and turned away to see if the approaching car a few blocks away was her ride. It was. Taking a quick look back at the man who had complicated things in her life a little bit, JJ tried not to laugh as he winked at her.

As Will drove away with JJ looking out the window at him, Dave wondered if instead of profiling others, if he and JJ managed to be profiled themselves by reading in between the line Aaron and Emily had drawn for their relationship. Chuckling to himself, Dave followed Reid, Garcia, and Morgan to the car. Maybe it wasn't Aaron needed a push in the right direction.

Not that Dave would ever admit that it was he himself who needed a push or two here and there. Hotch would have a field day with that one and quite frankly, Dave could wait a little while longer for JJ to come around. Patience, after all, is a virtue: One he was willing to grasp with both hands if it meant he'd finally win what he had wanted since he set foot back in the BAU.

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That was fun to write, I'll tell you that. I love writing about the team and how they just know deep down about Hotch and Emily's chemistry. I hope that I captured the Rossi/JJ relationship well enough for fans of that paring. It was a little challenging, but I believe it came out well.

I'm going to start writing the sequel to _Family Dynamics_ tomorrow and I'll try to post the first chapter by Thursday. Hopefully I'll actually be able to keep my word about posting dates. Thanks again to all of you who have reviewed my stories (especially _Family Dynamics_ which I worked very hard on) You guys are amazing!

Peace out.


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